The presence of a battery-egg production farm in north Canberra has
attracted controversy for well over a decade.

Parkwood Eggs at west Belconnen was "raided" by Animal Liberation in
1995, and 14 activists chained themselves to the battery cages. Four
were arrested including actress Lynda Stoner. During the ensuing court
case, the magistrate did not uphold the charges stating it was
"impossible not to be overwhelmed by the evidence presented (that)
producing eggs by means of battery farming hens is inherently cruel to
the hens" and Parkwood Eggs "were no exception" to this finding.

Now, a new controversy appears to brewing after a group of residents
contacted The Canberra Times to voice concerns over treatment of the
250,000 hens housed at Parkwood. They claim a brief glimpse of a fox
alerted them to several emptied battery-hen sheds at Parkwood earlier
this month.

Taking an evening walk on land bordering the egg production complex,
they noticed shed doors were open. They also heard noises that
suggested there might be hens inside the open sheds.

What they did next after much discussion and angst over ethics,
trespass and moral responsibility wasn't legal but was motivated by
concerns over animal welfare. They decided to take a quick look into
the sheds to allay fears about foxes getting in and killing hens.
...
A report issued earlier this month by Advocates for Animals explores a
potential link between avian influenza and factory farming of poultry.
It claims intensively farmed poultry are "inevitably in unnaturally
close contact with their own wastes" and if infection enters a shed
"it will spread rapidly and the levels of circulating virus will be
greatly increased."

The report claims the avian influenza virus H5N1 is transmitted from
the faeces of infected birds and says a recent FAO study stated
"poultry production and commerce have played the largest role in the
spread of the disease."
...
But battery-egg production is likely to be at odds with UN criteria
requiring nominations to prove a commitment to sustainable land use
and ecosystem management.

Meanwhile, the chooks "rescued" last week are adjusting to a new life
over the border. Their rescue squad, who joke about calling themselves
The Other Canberra Raiders, say they have one regret it takes around
four hours per chook (aided by warm soapy foot baths and soothing
classical music) to gently pick the rock-hard accretions of manure off
their feet.

"It's stinky messy work, but worth it when you see chooks being able
to walk rather than hobble across the grass," said one of the raiders.